Guide tables for power saws, such as sabre saws and portable circular saws, are known in the prior art. Such tables commonly include a pair of parallel guide rails, at least one of which can be laterally adjusted relative to the other. Such a guide table for diverse power woodworking tools is shown in the referenced patent application. The arrangement enables the use selectively along the two guide rails of a sabre saw, circular saw or router. The table in the patent application also includes a protractor which allows the cutting off of lumber workpieces at various precision angles.
The objective of the present invention is to provide means in the nature of a simple attachment to a table of the above type which will impart thereto an additional important capability not heretofore provided in the prior art, namely, the capability of ripping large lumber pieces with precision and speed by use of a sabre saw.
This new capability is imparted to the table by the addition thereto of a sabre saw blade guide slot perpendicular to the guide rails, the provision on the table of a precision adjustable lumber guide parallel to the added saw blade guide slot, and the provision on one guide rail of a quick attachable and removable locator and holding device for the sole plate of a sabre saw. A vertically adjustable lumber hold-down element on one guide rail is also provided to prevent lumber chattering during the ripping operation. A feature of the simple attachment is that only an initial adjustment of the sole plate locating means is required, after which the same sabre saw can be used repeatedly in the lumber ripping mode without any further adjustment of the attachment. In a table equipped with the invention, the same sabre saw can be employed on the table guide rails selectively in two right angular positions for lumber cutoff operations with the saw moving along the guide rails, or for lumber ripping operations with the saw turned ninety degrees relative to the guide rails and held stationary thereon by the sole plate locator means while the lumber to be ripped is fed across the guide rails and into the blade of the sabre saw.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description. While lumber is referred to throughout the description and claims, it is to be understood that this term includes material other than lumber that may be ripped by use of the attachment.